


Lonely is The Night

by orphan_account



Category: The Infected RP group
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/F, FBI, FBI AU, Fluff, M/M, Violence, cadie's stuff, hella gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-20 15:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4792514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world of drug lords, spies, terrorists, mobsters, and serial killers a team closer than their blood families fight to save people. The partnership between Special Agents Cambridge and Day becomes a stronger bond and soon they're in love. The one thing they said they'd never do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Co written by Dean and Cadie *UNEDITED*

     Perhaps the stars get upset that people make wishes on them. Wishes about first love, futures, and new lives. Stars are just specks of dust carrying the weight of all the last-resort wishes of desperate humans. The stars are just a beautiful graveyard of wishes that never came true.

     Looking up at the stars from the hood of her Pontiac GTO, none of those thoughts crossed Arcadia’s mind as she left her own wish up in the galaxy above. And just like everyone before her, they called to her. And in that moment, Arcadia Day did not exist. She was simply stardust, and there was peace. The car rocked under her and warm fingers interlaced with hers, settling into the place where they belonged.

     “Cadie?” Coal’s voice was quiet, but it pulled Arcadia from her thoughts with a soft smile that was only meant for Coal.

     “Hey, beautiful.” She laughed and gently squeezed Coal’s hand, her other hand reached up to cup Coal's face. When they kissed galaxies did not implode, the world did not stop turning, and the stars did not start cascading from the sky. But it was beautiful. These were the quiet moments they lived for, the moments that tired minds wandered back to at both 3am when they’re trying to sleep and noon when they’re out with friends. Soft lips were raw with love as they kissed under the stars. Time did not exist for them, seconds or minutes it did not matter because to them it was an eternity. There was only love, and now, and hands tenderly cupping faces, and Arcadia wondered if maybe it was a movie scene where for a second everything goes right.

     Coal pulled away and restrf her forehead against Arcadia’s, a beautiful smile glowed on her face. And damn, it made the stars jealous. They were silent for a small infinity of heartbeats but it was not awkward because somethings are better left unsaid. Unexposed to the world, they remained unspoiled. 

     Arcadia gently brushed Coal’s dark hair out of her eyes where it was perpetually falling into. “Stay with me?” Her gun-metal grey eyes met Coal’s angel-grace blue ones.

     Coal nodded and lightly pushed Arcadia back against the hood of the Pontiac. Arcadia laughed as the cold metal of the car stung her skin but she suddenly didn’t mind as Coal laid her head on her stomach, looking up at the stars above them. Somehow their hands found their way back to each other. Because that was the way it was supposed to be, hands could get lonely. Arcadia carded her free hand through Coal’s hair as she looked up. “Coal? What’d you think of the stars?”

     With a thoughtful look on her face, Coal answered. “Aliens are rad. I’m pretty sure they’re up there, above us..” The stars reflected in her eyes as she looked innocently up at a laughing Arcadia. “Did I say something?” She fought the smile threatening to show.  
Arcadia laughed and ran a hand through Coal’s hair. “They can’t take you, you’re mine, okay? You promised to stay. That includes little green nerds who want you to be their queen. You’re already a queen. My queen.” Arcadia chided herself for getting so sappy and decided that if the aliens showed up she’d be okay with them blasting her with their lasers.  
     Coal grinned. “You idiot, I love you.” Arcadia laughed and shoved her shoulder, “I know, asshole. I love you too.” Their laughter carried through the moonlight as they lit up their cigarettes and talked until the moon was chased away by the laughter and the sky grew lighter. The rising sun danced over their story, painted in the car windows.


	2. Chimes and Sweet Nothings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All these chapters are going to be unedited until it's completely done. It's still by the same two assholes, enjoy! These are the last notes for the rest of the fic. Comment and let us know what you think.

     With the sweet tinkling of the wind chimes, the door to the small coffee shop opened and a cheerful blonde bounded into the small shoppe, followed closely behind by her disgruntled girlfriend, their hands intertwined. "Cadie, this is a  _scandal._ I could have slept for another ten minutes. I do not have to be up, why am I up?" Coal frowned, glaring at Arcadia who had the nerve to  _smile._

Arcadia rolled her eyes and grabbed the english tea and black coffee from the counter, tossing a wad of bills in the empty space on the stained counter. "Because you're a pain to put up with in the morning so I'm taking you out for drinks. If I remember correctly, it was _you_ who made me promise to get you breakfast." She smiled, holding out the english black coffee.

     Coal glared but grudgingly took the steaming mug from Arcadia's calloused hands. "Thank you." Her frown softened softly as she looked at Cadie through the stream. The warm light streaming in through the windows danced in the steam coming from the mug, turning the swirls into a warm caramel color.  

     Arcadia merely smiled and and set her coffee mug on the table next to them, fingering the tablecloth hem. A teasing smile played on her lips as she looked over her shoulder at Coal. "Have some tea, you're not you when you're hungry." Their laughter filled the nearly empty coffee shoppe. 

     "Damn, you're lucky you're cute." Coal grinned and reached over to tussle her hair, sending them into another spiral of laughter. Coal lifted the mug to her mouth to hide her smile, dammit, it was too early to be laughing. 

    Arcadia smirked, dumping enough sugar in her coffee to make a candy store cringe. "No, that's not luck." She tossed a wink to the pretty girl next to her. "Luck was tricking you into loving me." She dumped her hip against Coal's, taking another sip of her sugar with a side of coffee.

     "Your face helped." Coal laughed and shot a look at the coffee in her girlfriend's hand. "What, do you think sugar is a substantial breakfast?"  the tea was finally starting to cool down to a temperature that didn't rival the fifth ring of hell. 

     "As a matter of fact, I do. Who decided this? What if the sugar _wants_  to be a breakfast but people are just oppressing it? Who decides it's role in existence?" Arcadia looked down at the offending drink with a fond smile.

    "The laws of nature," Coal reached over and poked her in the side. "and nature is mad at you because you're being a little breakfast rebel." She slid into one of the chairs, the weathered wood scraping along the floorboards as she slid in.  

     "Then that mean's I'm living life right. I don't have any complaints with how it's turned out." She said, her gaze resting on the lovely lady across from her. Coal was beautiful in the way a hurricane was, you couldn't look away from her. But unlike a hurricane, you didn't want to look away. She was captivating, a girl of contradictions and contrasts that clashed in the most beautiful way. Blue eyes the color of budding cornflowers and hair the color of the midnight sky. The sarcastic comment died on Cadie's lips as she looked at Coal, hands lazily intertwined over the top of the table. "I..." She trailed off, losing her train of thought as she absentmindedly traced her thumb over Coal's knuckles. Every time her mind wandered it always ended up here, and she couldn't say she minded in the least. Maybe, she should make more midnight promises to take Coal to breakfast.   


	3. Of Asses On Desks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> unedited, but more to come soon! check back in an hour or so for the next update

     Arcadia's boots shook the frame of the desk as they hit its side. Her gaze impatiently tracked the clock as the minutes ticked away like the tapping of impatient fingers on the very surface they gripped, waiting. With every shift of the second hand the backs of her heels would hit the metal desk frame with a thud. The door to the office opened and a tall man stepped into the room, rolling his eyes. "Get your ass off of my desk." Dean tossed a box of rounds for his .45ACP Colt on the desk beside her. It slid to the edge, further than anticipated, and teetered there for a moment before balancing out again. It was quickly forgotten again as  she laughed and slid off the desk, taking his thermos with her.

    "Most people wouldn't complain." She straightened her jacket and looked up at Dean. "Don't see why you are, sweetheart." She shot her best friend a teasing smile.

    "You're not my type." Dean walked around her and straightened the skewed piles.

    "I'm everyone's type." She smirked, reaching around him to set the file she'd brought on his desk. "You coming to lunch with me 'n Coal, pretty boy?" She teased, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

    "Dude, _some_ of us have to do our jobs." He grabbed the file from the desk and flipped it open. He thumbed through quickly and skimmed the file. The words all blurred together and didn't quite register under the haze of a hangover and lack of sleep. 

    "Come on, Daryl's going to be there." She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. "Don't leave that poor boy alone with us. He'd never forgive you." She laughed, tying back her blonde stands. 

     He pulled off his long over coat and tossed it over the back of the chair. "I've gotta keep working, this case ain't gonna solve itself." Dean said as he lowered himself into his chair and kicked his feet up onto the desktop as he reopened the file to read it carefully.

    Arcadia leaned over the top of the piles of various papers to smile at her friend. The smile a mother gives her child in church when they're clambering over the pews during the sermon. "Deano, did I stutter? Team lunch out, you can bring your work. If you don't go Daryl won't either, and we want to spend time with you two. You are still coming over saturday, right?" 

    Dean rolled his eyes and got back to his feet. "Yeah, we're coming. But we're gonna kick your ass at monopoly this time." he smirked and grabbed his laptop off the desk, setting it on top of the file in his arms.

    "That's what'cha said last time, buddy boy. And the time before that." She laughed and jingled her keys as if trying to snatch the attention of a dog. She walked up to the door and held it open for him.

    "I don't think a bank robbery counts as winning." Dean retorted, the door locked behind them as they made their way down the hall. The harsh fluorescent light almost seemed to soften as the hallway filled with the laughter of the two friends. 

    "No one likes a poor sport, sweetheart. Coal didn't make us win, you made us win when you went bankrupt. She just gave us the money for hotels." Arcadia tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as she stepped out into the sun. "Monopoly is overrated, uno is where it's really at. Think you're up for it?" She smirked as she unlocked her Pontiac. 

    "I can win any day, sister. Rematch tomorrow after we close this gig?" he shot her a questioning look over the top of their cars as he tossed his file onto the front seat of his car. 

    "You promised you'd take me ring shopping, remember?" She smiled at the thought, hopefully they'd find something Coal wouldn't hate. If she didn't say no, that is.

    "After then." He closed the shotgun door and got behind the wheel of his Baby. She beamed at him with a smile that tugged at the corner of eyes 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter isn't going to be published until after all the others are up. sorry for the inconvenience but the draft was in my (dean) writing notebook which was left in my history class. (which I hope can't be tied back to me because there's a lot of smut in that notebook) anyways, I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. Basically it's just an unnecessary chapter of a fluffy game night. The story will be all finished by midnight so this might get re-written then.

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	6. The Glasgow Cleaver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The section in italics is NOT in Arcadia's POV. There's some serious adult themes in this chapter, and your faves won't be appearing again until next chapter. So enjoy some deranged psychopaths. (and unedited draft)

      _He sat in his old run down car, the engine silent as the clock on his dash changes to 1 am. The empty street is silent, everyone is tucked away in their beds. Safe and sound. Everyone except himself and the woman in the house across the street. Maybe if she had not been so caught up in pleasuring herself she could have noticed the rusting beetle with the busted headlights sitting idly on the side of the road, the handsome man sitting in the front eating late night takeout, long since cold, as he watched through her open window. The man she'd been talking to over her fitblr. Just one little compliment on a selfie and that same night she was spilling her woos to him. Every insecurity and attention starved detail as she hoped the man would take notice of her. He did, oh how he noticed her. Eventually he found her... other... blogs too. Just a simple matter of tracing her ip address through the messages. He saved every single picture she posted, every message too. They would make lovely souvenirs later. He liked to think of them as bonus trophies. Little momentos to remember tonight, because he did not want to lose a single second of this. He licked his lips, watching through the window. Without tearing his gaze away, The Glasgow Cleaver stepped out of the car and stood in the middle of the street. His grin stretched the self-inflicted scars on his otherwise handsome face. As he watched the unaware woman he realized that the date was fitting. In October, you expected things to die._

 _Getting in was easy, it always was. The low sound of a "Friends" episode played on the forgotten TV that had been left on, masking the sound of the screaming door hinges as he forced it open. She made it oh so easy for him, almost as if she_ wanted  _him to come. He'd have to thank her for the invitation later. And the lovely show she'd put on, so much more beautiful than her... personal... blog. He passed the bathroom as the familiar opening cords of the theme song started. With a chesher grin on his face he contemplated hiding in the shower, she'd mentioned that she always checked. But that was not a part of the plan. He could not deviate from it. It was perfect. Three weeks of planning. It'd better damn well be perfect._

_The muffled sound of her shower helped to mask the creak of the wheezing steps under his feet as he climbed up the stairs. He cannot stop smiling nor does he try to as he passes through the shadows of the hallway into her bedroom. The very room he was watching her in earlier. Pink walls, but they could use a splash of red. He laughed silently to himself as he walked over to the woman's bed and lay down. The room was not like any of the times he had imagined it over the past month. At their coffee shoppe date she'd neglected to mention her doll collection. Their ethereal eyes met his with a haunted gaze, as if their glass eyes knew what was to come. But procelain cannot scream. Painted lips cannot warn their mistress of the man lying in her bed. He laughed to himself as he stared into their eyes. He used to have a thing for his sister's dolls, and as he stared into their eyes he wondered if he had been the only one watching that night._

_The muffled sounds of the showering woman quieted and for a moment everything was silent. In the space between seconds, everything was balanced on the edge. Just one little push away from madness. If she could hear the doll's screams, she would have run. She might have made it too. Or maybe she would have screamed for help and the neighbors would have came. But she did not run, she did not scream. She walked back into her no longer empty bedroom._

_If she had, they would not have found her body impaled on the park monument. A school bus full of children would not have made the discovery. Her limbs would not be floating in the water pool around the brass statue peaking through her torso. His signature smiley face would not be carved into her stomach so deep her intestines poked through. Her eyes would not be in an old jam jar in the man's basement, and the Glasgow Cleaver would not be braiding her hair into a new sweater._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left, they're gonna be longer ones. Back to Arcadia's POV for the rest of the story (also all now in the present tense) enjoy xx

     The sound of her combat boots on the hallway tiling echoed as she headed to command, tossing her hair over her shoulder. A familiar footstep pattern fell in synch with hers as Coal joined her, straightening her clevar vest as she walked next to Arcadia. "After we clean up the director's mess, we should take the weekend off. Go to the beach... We've earned a vacation." She smiled at Coal and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She let it dangle from her red lips as she offered it to Coal.

     With a smile, Coal took it from Arcadia and lit up. "I want to get far away from this place." Coal stated, looking around the bureau She absent-mindedly squeezed the other girl's hand as they walked. The door on their left opened and Dean walked out, straightening his tie with one hand and carrying his vest in the other. Daryl followed close behind Dean as he pulled the vest on over his head. Arcadia smirked and exchanged a look with Coal. 

    Daryl nodded a silent greeting to the two girls and fell in step behind them, with Dean at his side. Arcadia cocked her gun and pushed a magazine into the hilt before holstering it. The shotgun was heavy on Coal's back as they headed into the conference room. The director stood with his back to the squad as he stared up at the large screens overhead. Everything from school records to doctor's appointments was displayed overhead. The Director turned to face them then, a tried look in his eyes as if he'd just passed the casket of an acquaintance, or maybe even the friend of an acquaintance. It was etched into every crevice on his too young face. Coal and Arcadia exchanged a look, the kind that said everything without uttering a word. Something was wrong. Then again, something was always wrong. She could feel the boys shifting behind her. The tension was thick enough to give the air a sour tang. Daryl was the first to speak up. "Somethn' happen?" He asked gruffly, shifting awkwardly as he shouldered his gun. 

     The Director nodded and stayed silent for a moment, as if he were mentally preparing himself. "Not just something, a series of events..." He trailed off and gestured to one of the agents sitting at the desk to pull up an image on the looming screens above. "O-8 this morning a school bus full of children discovered the body in the park, dismembered limbs where found floating in the water fountain at the base of the military memorial. Our forensics team concluded that she was still alive at the time of impalement, her scalp and eyeballs have not been located yet..." The room was silent except for the clicking of keys as the agent behind the desk pulled up another image of the woman. "He left his signature carved into her stomach, just like last time. But we're getting closer, he's slipping up." The Director looked down at the papers in his hand then up at the changing images on the screen. Arcadia looked away and clenched her fist. If they had just figured out who he was sooner, then maybe that woman would be out for her ritualistic morning jog. Or stopping by the coffee shop to flirt with the geeky frat boy. Coal lightly kicked the back of her shin and pulled Arcadia back from her thoughts. "...Then this afternoon a jogger found something else." The Director paused and looked down. 

     Coal took the opportunity to lean over and whisper in her ear. "Don't trust the joggers, they're always the ones to find the dead bodies." Arcadia bit her lip to stifle her laugh as the Director shot her an icy glare that made the arctic sea look like a hot spring. "Agent, I will take you off this case. All of you. But you're our best shot at catching this man, and I want him off the streets." They fell silent under the look while Arcadia nodded submissively. "As I was saying, ladies, the joggers found a set of shoes. Seventeen sets of children's shoes all neatly lined up against the sidewalk. They belonged to the children on the bus that found the woman in the park. On the wall above the shoes he painted a message in blood,   _tick tock you're on the clock. come play before the end of the day. or you'll only be in time to gawk,_ punctuated with his usual smiley face.we don't have nay matches on the blood yet. We have a team working on it." Arcadia felt the shift in the room, everyone ready to put a knife in that son of a bitches face. The only sound in the room was the click of a safety on the gun. The Director nodded, staring down each of them but he did not need to convey the seriousness of the situation for each of them felt it in their bones and understood. "We're counting on you, don't let us down." He punctuated the end as if he would personally shoot them if they did not get to the kids in time. Arcadia's eyes met Coal's and they nodded, neither planning on taking him into custody. Judging by the sound of Dean and Daryl suiting up behind them they knew they weren't either.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha enjoy!! (Enedited)

     Arcadia could not tear her eyes off of Coal (not that she wanted to). Coal swept back her dark hair and gathered it at the nape of her neck. After securing it there she glanced over and met Cadie's gaze with a small smirk. The blueprints of the old warehouse spread out between the four of them. There was a rustling of papers then Dean leaned over and pointed out a room with his calloused finger. "There." He sounded confident, at least in Arcadia's opinion. He always had had a knack for figuring out where people were hiding out. 

     Daryl shot a look at his partner, not one of doubt per-say, Just the look of someone who did not want to screw up. At this stage a minor miscalculation could cost both theirs and the lives of the children.

      It was not Dean who answered, it was Coal. When it came down to getting inside people's heads and thinking how they thought, there wasn't much competition. "Second floor, high enough that we can't get in easy but low enough that he still has options to bail. Far from the stairwell..." she trailed off as she traced her finger over the white lines. "And only one window. We can't just- bang! blow out his brains. Too many hidey-holes too." She looked up from the town blueprints and met the looks of her team, they were more than that, they were family. Everyone nodded in mutual agreement. They would have to go in and run the operation blind. No outside help. 

      Arcadia leaned over towards Coal to get a better look at the floor plans as she memorized the layout. "How many kids?" Asked Cadie, the tension was evident in her voice even though she fought to hide it. 

      "Seventeen." Daryl gruffly responded as he finished cleaning his gun and began to reassemble it. Arcadia nodded and rechecked her own guns, _seventeen kids, we'll be lucky if we get five. They're always more difficult than adults, fear doesn't make them think clearly._  Her concern must have showed on her face because Coal nudged her arm and wove their fingers together in a reassuring squeeze. It was more of a comfort than words could have been, after all, they would have just been white lies passing through beautiful lips. Nothing more. With that thought in her head, Arcadia wanted nothing more than to pull Coal into a hug and stay in the comfort of her arms but she knew that while it would help her it would not save the kids. So she settled for holding onto the beautiful girl's hand as she finished preparing.  

      "The official objective is the man, but we ain't going for him first. We're gonna get the kids out then once they're safe we'll kill that evil son of a bitch." Dean tightened his kevlar vest. Coal crumpled up the blueprints and shoved them in her pocket. 

~*~

     The last breaths of the sun faded as the team l their abandoned vehicle and carried on on foot toward the dilapidated warehouse. Random panels were missing from the dusty windows with spiderweb cracks in them, the shattered holes were the perfect height for the barrel of a sniper rifle to hide behind. Every gut instinct screamed at her to run, but she wouldn't, not with the children's lives in danger and her team's too. Her team followed close behind, Coal flanked her right and the two men brought up the rear. With every step she became more sure that she was leading them in on a suicide run.  In front of the looming doors lay a well-worn welcome mat. Arcadia cast a look at it then started to take a step to open the door but a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back. Coal let go of her arm and held a single finger to her lips before crouching down and lifting the corner of the mat. The hilts of the knives were buried in the bottom of the shallow pit. The dying dregs sunlight glinted off the stained metal blades poised up towards the darkening sky. Coal slowly stood back up and stepped over to the right. Daryl held his flashlight in his fist, as he eased past them he swung the beam of light around the entrance.  The swinging beam illuminated the thin lines of trip wire strung at different heights throughout the doorway. He looked back at the others then silently passed them the flashlight. Coal took the cold metal from Daryl's calloused hand and held it up as he ducked through the wires and into the inside of the warehouse. Arcadia took the flashlight from her girlfriend and waited for her to step though before pushing Dean through. Coal reached back through and took the light from Arcadia, angling it back at the doorway so that she could join them on the other side. 

     Once they were all together again they let the door close behind them that sealed out all the last remnants of light and plunged them into a darkness so deep and cold they almost felt as if they did not exist, they were simply occupying empty space in the breaths between seconds. Ancient dust particles floated through the beam of light that emitted from the flashlight back in Daryl's hand. Coal shot a light kick at Arcadia's boots but misjudged in the dark and sent a barrel of tools tumbling to the ground. The sound of metal hitting against metal echoed through the drafty warehouse. Coal clamped a hand over her mouth as she silently cursed.

     After a long stretch of heavy silence a husky voice whispered almost inaudibly,  "Damn nice of ya' to ring the doorbell, glad some of us didn't forget our manners, sunshine." Everyone could hear Daryl's smirk in his words. Dean stepped into the beam of light and looked at Daryl, an almost cold glint was in the man's eyes. 

     "Savin' the kids, remember? We don't have much time, buddy." Dean clapped a hand on Daryl's shoulder and turned to Coal and Arcadia, or at least where he assumed them to be. "You two take the right stairwell, Dare' and me are taking the left. We find the kids and get them out." He ordered, one hand rest on his holstered gun and in the other he held his colt. 

     Without another word the two men were swallowed by the darkness, Arcadia could not even hear the sounds of their boots on the cracked title. The two girls turned on heel and ran into the darkness. Her pulse drowned out all other sounds as she ran, the countdown ticked away like a tiny metal heart. Time slipped away as they ran blindly. One wrong turn and everything would crumple apart. 

      Arcadia could hear another quiet set of footsteps in tandem with her own. She prayed to a god she didn't believe in that they were Coal's and not anyone elses. Every turn looked the same as the last. Coal took control and lead the way with Arcadia close on her heels as she guarded her back. The longer they ran the more sure she became that those footsteps were not that of the other girls. The timing was slightly off. The gait too long and the steps too heavy. They were not alone. 

      In her pocket her phone began buzzing, but she did not take the time to pull it out and check. If she had checked her phone, she might have gotten the Director's tests. 

_ϟ Get out of there now ϟ_

_ϟ We have a match on the blood samples the killer used to leave the message ϟ_

_ϟ It's yours ϟ_

_ϟ the blood is yours ϟ_

_ϟ stand down get out of there now ϟ  
_

But neither of them stopped to check their phones as they ran. All of the sudden, Coal stopped and turned back towards Arcadia. "We passed the door! Check behind you!" She whispered, but they both knew there was no use being quiet at this point. They turned and retraced their steps until they came in front of a steel door. Arcadia reached out and grabbed the handle. But the cold metal did not yield under her grip. She stepped back and fired round after round at the lock until she could see the light through where the lock was supposed to be. Coal stepped back and planted a steady kick to the middle of the door. The hinges screamed in protest and fell inward onto the stairs, then Coal grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the door. They carefully ran up it like a plank until they were back on the stairs. They ran up the stairs while the adrenaline pumped through their icy veins. Arcadia reached the top first and pushed open the old door. When they were busy passing into the hallway they did not hear the grinding of the metal door being pulled off the stairs. They were too busy running towards the kids. Even if they knew, they still would have tried to save the children. But they did not know, and they kept pushing their bodies with everything they had. 

     Coal is the first into the room but Daryl and Dean are already there. She immediately fell to her knees and began to cut them free with her knife. Arcadia grabbed the dusty sheet off of the box in the corner and wrapped it around her fist. Glass shattered across the floor as she punched her hand through the remainder of the window. She ignored the blossoming red on the pale sheet as she knocked away the last remnants of glass that clung to the frame. Behind her back Coal sawed through the ropes binding the last child. 

      _Shit, the window is too tall, they can't reach it._ She looked around the room as she searched desperately for something, anything. Her gaze fell back on the box in the corner of the room. "Daryl, help me move this under the window!" She walked over to the box and shifted into a stable stance. Soon Daryl was at her side. A groan escaped her lips as they pushed it into place. 

     "The hell's in this thing?" He tapped the side with his gun, a dull thud confirmed that the box certainly was not empty. 

     "Little old lady's dresses." Coal answered with her back to them as she scooped up a child and lifted them into her arms. Everyone chose not to consider the most likely possibility. They'd never recovered a lot of... _parts_. Dean cast a dark look towards the door and then looked back down at the child clutching his hand. 

     "Coal, you 'n Cadie get outside, Dean an' me'll pass ya the kids through the window." Daryl stepped away from the box to make room for them. Before he could continue Arcadia cut him off. 

     "We're smaller, you get through first. We can get out easier." She pushed him towards the window. No one wanted to waste anymore time, they were running low as it was. They watched Dean pushed Daryl through, then before he squeezed through he turned back to look at them. "No heroics, if something happens, you get out." He turned and crawled through the window. Once they heard his boots land on the dirt outside Coal and Arcadia got into action. Sixteen pairs of terrified eyes, most of them wet with tears, stared back at them with a silent plea to get them home to their mommies and daddies who were waiting for them. 

     "Okay honey, come over here." Coal ushered the little children into a line. She reached down and took the sweaty hand of the first child and put them up onto the box. "Just sit on the edge, we're getting you home." As Dean took the kid from the windowsill Coal helped another up onto the box, while she passed the crying kid out into the safety of the Dean's arms Arcadia scooped up a crying girl and wiped away her tears as she carried her over to the window. The two worked in tandem, passing kids through to the men outside. One little girl flung herself at Coal and cried into her shoulder.

     "N- no, donnn make me go! I no go! Stay wit you" the little girl wailed. Coal gently disentangled herself.

     "I'll be right behind, I promise. We're going to play a game. Have you ever been an airplane?" She asked as she wiped away the tears. The little girl shook her head, blonde curls stuck to her wet face. "Okay, we're going to play. It's easy. You just put your arms out and believe. You have to close your eyes real tight and then you'll fly. Can you do that for me?" she asked gently leading the girl to towards the window. There was a long pause then the little girl nodded slowly and sat down. The stuck out her arms and squeezed her eyes shut,  as she lifted her arms higher Daryl lifted her into her arms and set her down on the ground next to him. She opened her eyes and laughed before wrapping around Daryl's leg like an anaconda. Soon most of the other children were on the other side. It was only Arcadia, Coal, and two children left. 

     A little boy wearing a name tag "Benny" clambered up onto Arcadia's shoulders and clung to her. "I'm scared." He whimpered. 

     "It's okay, fear makes you smart. Alright? We're getting you home, I promise." She lifted him off her shoulders and set him down to look him in the eyes. "But now it's time to be brave." She cradled his face and wiped away his tears with her thumb as Coal passed the last kid through to Daryl then came over to join them. 

     "It's time to go, honey." Said Coal as she reached out her hand to the little boy. "You can do it, you're a superhero." The kid looked up at the two girls through wet eyelashes. 

     "I wanna go home." He sniffled and got to his feet. "I'm scared, the bad man is gonna hurt me." He whimpered and gripped the straps of his backpack tighter. Arcadia looked at the backpack and gasped softly, realizing none of the other kids had them. They'd all been left behind with the shoes. 

     "We're not going to let anything happen to you, you're batman. Batman can't be hurt." Coal pushed Benny's hair off his forehead, and by the way her hand shook Arcadia knew she was thinking along the same lines. Arcadia got to her feet and shifted to stand behind Benny. 

      "Sweetheart, I'm going to borrow your backpack, It's very cool and I want to be as cool as you." As Coal comforted the boy Arcadia pulled out her knife and began to saw through the straps keeping the bag on the boy's back. With shaky movements she pulled the bag away from the from him and set it in the corner of the room. Coal picked up the straps and pushed them away. The boy's eyes were shining with tears again but he stiffened his lip and took a few more steps towards the window. Dean reached through and picked up the boy and settled him on his side. 

     "Hey there kiddo." Dean smiled at the kid, he tried not to let the strain show in his smile. Coal hopped up onto the box and quickly ducked through the window. 

     "5-O, Deano. Time to go." She gaze the bag an exaggerated look to make sure he understood. He was about to respond when there was a dull thud and another set of boots joined theirs. 

     "Son of a bitch!" He cursed, then immediately regretted it once the kids looked at him in shock. "Alright kiddos, listen up. We're going to take you home but you need to stick close. We'll keep you safe." He looked at the scared kids then decided to follow Coal's lead and get them to think of it like a game. "We're going to have a race, you think you're faster than us old people?" He smirked and Benny laughed as he hid his face against Dean's side. "If all of you are faster than us I'll get you all a special prize, but you have to be faster than the flash." The kids nodded in excitement and their fears were forgotten. No one noticed the man standing in the window, watching, as the kids took off like bullets from a gun. The agents followed close behind, all of them with the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. 

    One by one they filed into the armored van and were quickly buckled in. Coal looked at the kids then closed the van door. "Someone needs to get the kids out of here..." No one volunteered, everyone wanted them safe but no one was willing to leave their team behind. She sighed and looked at Arcadia. "Alright, alright. You and Dean stay here, Daryl and I'll go back inside and shoot him. That way no one's alone, there's something wrong about this." Said Coal with an air of authority. Neither Arcadia or Dean looked happy with this plan. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited, but it'll be edited by wednesday, thanks for reading!

  Arcadia shook her head and pushed her sniper rifle into Coals arms. "You're a better shot than me, I'm best close range." Arcadia managed a small smile as she looked at Coal. "You stay with Daryl. If anything goes south-" 

     Coal cut her off. "It won't. You're getting your ass back here." Coal smiled slightly and put the gun strap over her shoulder. Arcadia knew Coal wasn't happy with the plan but they had to get going. "Do I at least get a kiss goodby?" Coal smirked.

     "No," laughed Arcadia "This isn't a goodye kiss." She reached out and brushed dust off the shoulder of Coal's vest then hooked her hands around the straps. The kiss was tasted of worry and tension but it was so purely... them and filled with a tender love. 

     Behind them Daryl fake gaged and Dean cleared his throat. "Ya lovebirds almost done?" Daryl smirked and nudged his partner. Coal stepped back and lightly pushed Arcadia towards the building and stepped back to stand next to Daryl. 

     Arcadia winked at Coal then slapped a magazine into her pistol. Dean clapped Daryl on the shoulder and jogged over to where Cadie stood in the shadows of the night. "Start with the same room. We'll clear them all and flush this son of a bitch out. You have an opportunity, you take it. And Cadie?" 

     "Yeah?" The bony moonlight shone on her blonde hair when she turned to face him with a grim expression. 

     "Don't die." The dork smiled at her but it didn't mask that it wasn't a joke. He stood with the stiff stance his father had drilled into him as a child. "If.... this ain't a pie of pie, and we get caught, leave me behind and go. I'll do the same for you." 

     Arcadia understood what not many people did. That was what they both would want. It would mean one might have a shot to live instead of neither. It was their last resort but it was better than all the alternatives. But for both their talk, they knew. That they could never leave anyone behind. Arcadia's gunmetal grey eyes met the boy's green ones with mutual understanding. "On your mark." She smirked and tucked her hair behind her ear then took off back towards the building. The building with the broken windows. And a man waiting, watching. 

     Arcadia's boot fit snugly in Dean's interlaced palms as her gave her a boost up to the window. With one last groan from the wooden windowsill she swung both her legs through and ducked under the frame. 

     The empty room felt crowded. Like there were too many lost souls trapped inside those four walls. The very walls that felt as if they were screaming. There was a thud when Dean joined her. Arcadia glanced at him and idly wondered if souls were drowning under the unnailed floorboards. Dean pushed past her and walked to the rotting door. "C'mon, let's smoke this son of a bitch." The was a creak then the man disappeared into the hallway.  Arcadia slipped out behind him.

     "Dean, you're not going to like this but just hear me out, alright?"  She could feel his gaze on her back so she plundered on. "We need to split up. Take different stairwells down and each work from a different end to the other. Other wise he can slip past us and that asstown will escape." Arcadia kept searching the hall, she knew he was still watching. 

     "Dude no, we don't split up. End of story. Keep searching, we'll get him one way or another. I know you can handle yourself but this is sick. This man, this thing, is sick. We need to be careful." His jaw muscles tightened as they looked at each other. 

     "Is that you being a concerned friend trying to keep us alive? Or are you being a good solider and following daddy's orders, agent?" A pang of remorse for her harsh words shot through her. A bitter taste filled her mouth when she noticed a very subtle flinch before her friend shifted into a cold demeanor. 

     "I'm the one calling the shots, Agent Day. And I saw we stick together. The kids riled you up and you're scared, I get it. But don't you  take it out on me. I'm trying to make sure your ass makes it back out of here in one piece, that's my job. To look after all your annoying asses. Don't make me screw that up. We ain't splitting, Cadie. You're stuck with me. Keep going. You take left, I'll take right." Dean stepped around her and opened the door across the hall. They continued working in silence as they cleared room after room until soon only the top floor hadn't been checked. Above them The Glasgow Cleaver could hardly wait. 

     The door fell inward under Dean's boot and crashed to the floor below. A cloud of dust and decay rose into the stale air. Arcadia tapped her leg with the barrel of her gun and smirked. "Going up?" She walked over the cracked wood of the old door and into the stairwell. 

     Dean paused in the doorframe leading to the hall. "We've got ourselves a winner..." He grimaced as he stepped into the grotesque hall. He turned and looked back over his shoulder at Arcadia. She shrugged and followed him into the hall. 

     "I've seen worse." She looked around the well-decorated hall. 

     "Really?" Dean swung the beam of his flashlight around to illuminate her face.

     "No, I just thought it'd make me sound cool. This guy's a psycho, I mean, look at this place... " She looked down at the rugs covering the linoleum floor.  The coarse strands of blondes, rich browns, and reds all braided together in a patchwork braid. In some parts flakes of scalp were visible through the strands. Bile rose in her throat as she covered her mouth with her sleeve in an attempt to block out the rancid stench of rotted flesh and spoiled blood. She carefully stepped to the edge of the hall as she tried to avoid stepping on the scalps as much as possible. With every step she could feel the slight bounce as her foot sunk down into the carpet. Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards as he clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her scream.

     There was a warm breath on her ear as leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I heard him, he's here. He's up here, with us. We ain't alone." Dean slowly took his hand back and they stepped backwards into the room on their left. Arcadia pressed her ear to the door and listened. 

     "Which room? Could you tell?" She checked the amo on her gun and spun the barrel around. There was no reply. "Dean?" She whispered and turned to look at him. But she immediately wished she hadn't. The flickering fluorescent lights overhead danced through the greenish water in the fishtanks lining the walls. In each take floated various trophies. Ears, eye balls, hearts, all scattered parts contained behind the glass. Dusty polaroids were taped to the outside of each tank. Some were yellowed with time. Her eyes fell on the most recently filled tank. And she knew that the hands and eyes belonged to the woman they found that morning. Maybe they'd even stepped on her scalp as they'd crossed the hall earlier. Dean reached out and gently turned her away from the tanks. 

     "I- Cover my back..." Dean gripped his gun tighter and reached over to open the door again. Everything was silent again. The Glasgow Cleaver did not let out a single breath as he stood on the other side of the door. 

     The door opened and Dean's gun was up before the door even swung open enough for Arcadia to see the monster in front of them. They were too close for the gun to be any use. Dean raised it and smashed the butt of the gun down against the man's nose. There was an audible crack as the Cleaver's nose snapped under the force of the gun and the bone splintered into fragments. He licked away the blood seeping down his face as he grinned at the two and kicked Dean backwards into Arcadia. It went the two agents reeling but this is what they lived for. They got into fighting stance as the Cleaver laughed. "I'm so  _happy_ you stopped by. I was beginning to get worried you'd take my new toys then leave without playing." His voice was raspy like the sound of angry bees fighting not to fall under the allure of a smokescreen. 

     Dean lunged at the man and knocked him backwards onto his back. The Cleaver kept laughing as Dean straddled him and pinned him to the ground under him. "Cadie, knife!" He grunted as he fought to keep the Cleaver down. Arcadia dove for the knife she'd dropped when Dean'd been knocked into her. As she grabbed it the Cleaver threw Dean off like a bull tossing a rider. Dean rolled across the floor and then quickly pushed himself up as Arcadia darted behind the Cleaver holding the knife. 

     "No, you're not playing by the rules!" The Cleaver laughed and easily flipped Arcadia over his shoulder and tugged her up against his chest with her own blade pressed against her throat. "You see, this isn't the way this is supposed to go. You need to play nice. Or I'll cut your pretty little head off." He laughed as he gave the girl a shake. She fell limp in his arms and whimpered. But Dean knew it was just an act to get the man to lower his guard. Dean pulled out his gun and raised it but the man just laughed and shoved Arcadia at Dean and lunged at the two of them. Dean took advantage of her momentum to twist her and push off of her to land a solid kick into the Cleaver's stomach. As he stumbled the light caught the man's grotesque face. Scars covered his face and one of his eyelids had been torn away to reveal a cloudy white eye below, the pickled and dried husk of an eye did not fill the socket completely. 

     "Dude, you fugly." Dean punched the Cleaver in the face and Arcadia planted her boot squarely in the Cleaver's chest. But the Cleaver grabbed her leg and toppled her over before pulling out his knife and jumping onto her. She could feel her ribs bend under his weight as he pushed her down and raised his knife. Dean grabbed his gun and pulled the trigger. There was a spray of blood as the bullet tore through his flesh and burrowed into the wall. The Glasgow cleaver had moved at the last second and the bullet missed everything vital. But it still packed a punch. Arcadia slammed her head into his and wiggled out from under him. She groaned and pressed a hand to her head and kicked the man in the throat. Dean pushed her back before throwing himself at the man with a vicious snarl. They fought for control of the knife but they were equally matched in size and stature. Dean reeled from a heavy punch and spat out a mouthful of blood then pushed the man head-first into the tanks. Glass shattered as water spilled out carrying the body parts out onto the floor. Dean pushed him down further into another tank but the Cleaver was expecting it this time and spun Dean into it. Arcadia lunged forward and pushed Dean away as she picked up a shard of glass. The cleaver lunged at her, but unlike Dean, she was no where near his size or build. They both crashed up against the wall as he wrapped his scarred hands around her throat. She would have screamed but he'd stolen her voice. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Dean as he got to his feet but she knew she was running out of time. With an attempted smirk she sliced open his face with the shard. Then the man's head crashed into hers in a fury and everything went dark. 

     She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the swaying world.  _What the hell? where am I? everything hurts... I.... feel weird. like... light. dammit, what the hell is going on? why does everything hurt?_ she swayed again and slowly rotated as the drumming of the blood in her head got louder. The ties suspending her from the ceiling cut into the skin of her ankles as it shaved off layers of skin. "Dammit...." She curse as she got a better look around. Under her rest an old, stained bucket. A table sat in the corner of the room with an assortment of knives and syringes. Little labeled mason jars with unscrewed lids were piled in the corner. She could only make out a few... "tongue", "liver", and what she assumed was "heart". With a soft groan she lost consciousness again.

~*~

     She watched the man leave the room then curled up against herself, her head spun even though she was on the right side of gravity now. She worked the rubbed against the cuffs until her skin was peeling and red and she was able to slip them off over her broken thumb. She was free.  _I don't know where Dean is, of if he's alive. Hell, I don't even know how long I've been here. You're in too deep, you know that right, Cadie?_ she cursed herself.  _I know, I know. But at least I'm alive._ She looked stepped into the hall.  _I'm alive, I swear. I'm not dead yet._ She dragged herself into a tiny closet and fell asleep as she waited for the drugs to wear off.  _  
_

The cry of a child dragged her back to the very reality she'd been trying to convince herself didn't exist. Arcadia pushed herself to her feet and took off sprinting.  the wails of the child grew louder and more terrified. _I thought we got them all._ She rounded the corner with the thud of rubber soles on tile. The door to the stairs was already open. With a hand on the railing she kept running down the stairs, down, down, down. The crying didn't stop. The steps did. 

_He had to get ready for his guests, they would be here soon. He had to make it perfect. Everything had to be perfect, just like he'd imagined all those times. Killing this team would be the crown jewel on a good life. He laughed to himself as he picked up the saw and started cutting off the rest of the wooden stairs. He'd leave the railing, that way it would just look like the dark had swallowed the stairwell. Once all the wood was out of the way he picked up his knives. All of them except Celine, she was always his favorite. She was the one he was going to use to carve their hearts out of their chests. The rest of the knives and wood filled the bottom of the stairwell. He couldn't let his presents escape. Not after he'd worked so hard to get them here. They would look beautiful in his collection. Maybe he would keep all of their bodies. He could make room for them. Especially her. He'd been watching her all his life. Waiting. Wanting. She would be his soon. He could almost taste her blood._

    Arcadia gripped the rail and started down the steps. "Hello?" She called but the child kept crying. Something was wrong. Then again, what was right? She shook it off and kept going. There was a crackle then loud laughter drowned out the whimpers and tears. The jackal laugh filled the stairwell as she her heart plummeted and a scream filled her throat, there wasn't a step under her foot anymore. She was falling. The darkness swallowed her and all she knew was the pain as the knives impaled her arms and legs. All she could do was scream as her body betrayed her and sunk her lower onto the serrated blades. If not for the vest they would have penetrated her heart and lungs. And in that moment she was not sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Under her lay the crushed recoding, the screams had stopped with it's destruction. 

      _He made them cry, he loved to hear their screams. He was glad he got it on tape, he would always have it and you never knew when it would come in handy. He wanted to replay it every night for the rest of his life but he was going to have to sacrifice it to get rid of that blonde bitch. She was in the way of his plan._

     Days, minutes, hours, or seconds she wasn't sure how long she lay there. With every knife she lifted herself off of she pushed down deeper onto the remaining ones. Her clothes stuck to her and only got stickier with each movement. But she was free. He'd made his first mistake. 

     Arcadia had been to hell but the it spat her back, not even the devil wanted her. And now she was armed with the very blades that were covered in the sickly sweet blood flowing from her body. He gave her the only tools she needed to tear him apart. And she was not going to stop until the town was painted with his gore. With every slow, painful step she dragged herself closer to the door. She was not going to keep them waiting. Even if she could barely walk she could still pull a trigger or push a blade through a spine. 

~*~

      Arcadia stepped back as his blood bubbled up under the hilt of the knife and covered her hands. He didn't have long now, she'd made sure of that. There were familiar footsteps behind her then Dean wrapped and arm around her and helped to support her weight. "You did it, you did it. 'S over. We're done. Come on Arcadia." He winced as the pain from his own injuries flared up but he didn't say anything while he half carried her back outside. Coal and Daryl sprinted towards them when they emerged from the building covered in dirt and gore. 

     "You heard another kid?" Coal asked as she looked between the two of them. Dean nodded warily. 

     "I-" dean started but Coal cut him off. 

     "Dean, shut the hell up. You're not going anywhere. Get Cadie into the truck. Daryl and I'll get the kid." Coal ordered and looped an arm around Cadie's shoulders. Arcadia leaned into her touch and buried her face in Coal's shoulder. Dean nodded and took the rag from Daryl to wipe the blood from his face. 

      "Arcadia killed that son of a bitch, but it's still dangerous... be careful." As he coughed he spat out more blood. Daryl hovered over his partner but Dean brushed him off, too stubborn. Once the four made it to the truck of kids Arcadia slowly turned to Coal and wrapped her arms around her. Neither said anything and they didn't need to as they held onto each other. 

     "I'll be back soon, take care of yourself." Coal ran a hand through Arcadia's hair and stepped out of the embrace to look at her as she nodded. 

     "Coal, I-" Arcadia choked on the words, her voice was too broken to force out the words. She hoped Coal understood, she needed her to. Coal leaned forward and pressed her lips to hers then followed Daryl back towards the building. Dean watched them go as he pulled out his phone to tell the Bureau they were on their way when he saw the messages they'd missed earlier. And everything fell into place. Coal and Daryl disappeared into the building as Dean shoved Arcadia to the ground. She couldn't even scream as he covered her with his body before she could yell for Coal the windows of the building exploded and the world filled with fire as the building exploded. 

     

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does everything make sense? This was written at midnight and wasn't read through. But it will be by wednesday so hang in there and please let us know what you think/ problems.


	10. Chapter 10

_The ringing in her ears drowned out all other sounds. Or maybe there were no sounds left in the world. Burning. Everything was burning. Heat was all consuming. Flames swallowed the stars. The ceiling began to bend. Crashing. Burning. It's all falling. Everything had started going blurry. Black smoke blocked out the moon. Settled in her lungs. No. No. Ringing. Blurry. Going dark. Can't. Not yet. Two figures emerged from the flames. One dragged the other over the hot ashes. Wrong. Everything was wrong. The darkness over took her and she was gone._


End file.
